THE DEVIL'S RAIN (1975) *1/2 A must-see for the subset of humanity intent on compiling a compendium of William Shatner and/or John Travolta in embarrassing circumstances. Shatner is tied up by devil worshippers, and Travolta is one, with hanging jowls and flames for eyes, no less. Other than that, it's one of those movies that starts out with only the vaguest idea of what it's doing, then spends the rest of its time insistently asserting that it has a plot. The final half of the film is comprised of wailing souls howling on the wind. Robert Fuest is shooting for chilling, but he achieves something short of cartoon-like. Which isn't to say that there isn't anything funny about it: the special effects are wax and firebombs. Familiar actors wander across the screen on a regular basis, all apparently so bemused by their surroundings that they have little interest in improving them. Ernest Borgnine is pretty good for the most part, but far more appropriate when he slides a little bit out of character, and his eyes twinkle because he knows it's funny, and that there's nothing that he can do about it. Tom Skerritt is unidentifiable as what he will become, either physically or aesthetically. So he's not a familiar face, then, only a familiar name. Well, yeah, that's right. Keenan Wynn is kind of funny as the desert sheriff, but that's all. Then they trot Ida Lupino and Eddie Albert back and forth, to try and trick old people into coming in to see it.
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